Word Chain

What is the Word Chain game?

Word Chain is a word link puzzle. Seven words are stacked in a column, and each one goes with the next: fire and work make firework, work and shop make workshop, and so on down to the bottom. You see the first and last words, but the five in the middle are hidden — all you have is each word's first letter and its length.

There's a new chain every day, the same for everyone, and it takes three to five minutes. When you've finished you can share your score without spoilers, then carry on with more puzzles from the archive.

A word chain example

Here's a short chain, and how each link works:

1. TEA → CUP teacup
2. CUP → BOARD cupboard
3. BOARD → GAME board game
4. GAME → PLAN game plan

In the puzzle you'd see TEA, then C _ _, B _ _ _ _, G _ _ _ and finally PLAN. The letter counts do a lot of the work: a three-letter word starting with C that goes with tea is almost certainly cup.

Tips for solving word chains

• Try both directions. If fire → W _ _ _ has you stuck, look at the word below it. Something that goes before shop and starts with W? Now work jumps out.
• Think compound words and phrases. A link can be one word (sunburn) or two (room service). Say the pair out loud — the right one sounds familiar.
• Count the letters. The length rules out most guesses. A five-letter B-word after cup narrows things fast.
• Watch for words that change meaning. Back in backpack and back in fall back are the same word doing different jobs. Chains love that.
• Save hints for the end. One letter is usually enough to crack a word, and solving its neighbour often gives you the next one for free.

Frequently asked questions

How do you play Word Chain?

You get a chain of seven words. The first and last are shown; for the five in between you only see the first letter and how many letters the word has. Every word links to the word below it to make a compound word or a common phrase — FIRE and WORK make firework, WORK and SHOP make workshop. Type your guess for the highlighted word and press Enter. Solve all five to complete the chain.

Can I solve the words in any order?

You can work down from the top or up from the bottom. Any word next to one you've already solved can be guessed — tap it to select it. Often the link from below is easier to spot than the link from above.

How do hints work?

Tap Hint and the next letter of the selected word is revealed. You can keep tapping until the whole word is shown, so you'll never be completely stuck. Hints and wrong guesses both count against your stars, so try a guess first.

How are stars counted?

Finish with one hint or wrong guess or fewer for three stars, up to three for two stars, and more than that for one star. When you're done you can share your result — a row of squares showing which words you got clean — without giving away the answers.

Is there a new puzzle every day?

Yes. There's one daily Word Chain, the same for everyone, and it changes at midnight. Once you've played it you can keep going with more puzzles straight away.

What counts as a link?

Two words link if together they make a compound word (sun + burn = sunburn) or a phrase people actually say (room + service = room service). Every link in our puzzles is an everyday word or phrase — no obscure terms.

Is this like the Chain Reaction game show?

It's the same kind of puzzle. If you've seen the TV game show Chain Reaction, or tried word link puzzles in a newspaper, you'll know the idea: a ladder of words where each pair goes together.

Is Word Chain free?

Yes. It runs in any browser on a phone, tablet or computer, with no sign-up and no download.

More word games to play in the browser

Crack a secret word in Jotto, play the Last Letter game against the computer, give clues on a budget in 15 Words or Less, or browse all our games.